Hundreds of Lebanese took to the streets of the northern city of Tripoli on Saturday to protest the torching of a decades-old library owned by a Greek Orthodox priest. The demonstrators held up banners that read “Tripoli, peaceful town” and “This is…

This post was republished using Repost. Please read it on Informed Comment directly: http://www.juancole.com/2014/01/tripoli-residents-torched.html

It is merely one short step from denial of climate change, the 13.7 billion year-old universe, the 4.5 billion year age of the Earth or any other irrefutable facts of science that contradict ‘sacred’ scripture, to allowing religious bigots to burn others sacred texts (e.g.; “Pastor.” Terry Jones) and vandalizing unwanted religious buildings in their neighborhoods (e.g.; Murfreesboro, TN) , to burning down libraries and destroying priceless historical objects (like Native American sacred sites or the Bamiyan Buddhas). Currently U.S. law allows book-burning as ‘free speech’ but classifies mosque-burning as arson/terrorism. If those who live in alternate realities gain ascendency, those rules may be changed and then no one will be safe from those who find them in ‘violation’ of ‘sacred’ law. The prior commenters give the impression that they don’t see the same behavior here but it is; merely held in check, so far. The enemy is fundamentalism, regardless of what flavor.